Dave Thomas still has his eh game
Hosers Bob & Doug McKenzie refuse to die, or even retire. Not now, not just yet.
Why, eh? “Well,” muses Great White North co-creator and comic Dave Thomas, “all I can give you is my theories, because I don’t really have a definite answer.”
We are talking by phone from his base in Los Angeles. The conversation is initiated because Thomas and pal Rick Moranis did a return gig as the hoser moose in Brother Bear 2, after scoring great reviews for their whimsical work in the 2003 original.
Brother Bear 2, one of Disney’s direct-to-DVD sequels, arrived in stores on Tuesday. It has the McKenzie-like moose, Rutt (Moranis) and Tuke (Thomas), falling in moosifer love with two fine females (fellow Canadians Andrea Martin and Catherine O’Hara).
“We actually liked it,” the 57-year-old Thomas says of working in Brother Bear 2 with the now reclusive Moranis. “Rick is not a big fan of acting any more because of going into the trailer and sitting around for 10 hours for every one hour that you work. But doing voice-overs is quick and clean. And you can do the whole thing in the morning. You can go home and you’re done for the day.
“Plus they let us improvise, which was fun because that’s how we do those characters and they (animators at Walt Disney Studios) recognize that.”
Same thing for the hosers. “As long as the McKenzie Brothers can improvise, Rick and I are comfortable because, when we lock ourselves into a script, it gets uncomfortable. We’ve never found anyone who we think can write for those characters ... except us.”
That brings us back to the why question: Why do Bob & Doug still have a cachet nearly three decades after they were created as Canadian content for SCTV. Why are they so recognizable even when disguised as animated moose in a Disney children’s film?
“I always thought,” says the amiable Thomas, “that in television, when you do direct address to camera, you’re a step ahead of any of the dramatic stuff, when people are turned sideways and talking to each other.
“These characters are like Muppets. They are very non-threatening and very stupid. And stupid characters play really well and travel well in comedy. Smart comedians play to a very small audience, I’ve found.
“And I think the beer definitely made them perennial with college kids.” Specifically, the Bob & Doug movie, Strange Brew, became “a youth college cult film,” Thomas says of their only big-screen effort.
As reported here Aug. 15, CBC-TV is backing a one-hour 24th anniversary Strange Brew special next May. The show will include unseen clips, fresh McKenzie Brothers improv and interviews with cast members, as well as with Demi Moore, who auditioned for the female lead but who was rejected. “So that’s always been a joke with her,” Thomas says.
Thomas and Moranis are also trying to get Warner Home Video, which owns the Strange Brew DVD rights, to wait until next May to put out a planned special edition. “I told them we wanted to synch up in a meaningful way; otherwise we weren’t going to give them any bonus material at all.”
Thomas’ animation company has also signed a development deal with Global TV to produce a flash animation series featuring the McKenzie Brothers, Thomas says.
Meanwhile, there is the Brother Bear movies. And it is no accident that the characters are named Rutt and Tuke, not Bob & Doug.
“We wouldn’t give Disney the McKenzie Brothers,” Thomas says. “We said: ‘Our voices sound similar to the McKenzie Brothers, so you’ll get what you want. But we don’t want the words McKenzie Brothers appearing anywhere in the Disney contract, or otherwise you’ll own it. We own the characters and we didn’t want to give them away. So they couldn’t use, ‘Take off,’ or any of our catch phrases.”
Thomas and Moranis are aware of how rigorously Disney lawyers protect their alleged character rights. The Winnie the Pooh lawsuits are a good lesson.
“If you give a big company like Disney a legal toehold to the characters at all, they’ve got you,” Thomas says.
Regardless, the Disney filmmakers and much of the audience for the Brother Bear series know who Thomas and Moranis are channeling into their characters. And that has kept the McKenzie Brothers from fading away.
“The weird thing about it is that, every time Rick and I thought these characters were dead, somebody else would want to do it and keep them alive.”
New 'Grey's Anatomy' season hints
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The doctors were in, as cast and crew of the hot TV medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" converged Tuesday night for a celebration of the DVD release of the show's second-season episodes.
The cast was generally tightlipped about third-season plot developments, but word did slip that the Meredith-Derek-Addy love triangle would finally be resolved, at least to some degree.
"Well, I think that you do see it, there is definitely a resolution, otherwise it becomes a really strange isosceles triangle," Kate Walsh (Dr. Addison Shepherd) told AP Television.
"So you see a resolution to the love triangle and you see all of the characters on their own a little more, myself included," she added. "The relationship becomes in its proper proportion. You see them who they are as a person and who they are professionally in a whole new and different way."
There was also talk of some casting news: Diahann Carroll and Richard Roundtree will appear in recurring roles as the parents of Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington)
"Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Second Season - Uncut," which also includes about five hours of extras, hits stores Sept. 12. The show begins its third season on its new day, Thursday, Sept. 21 on ABC.
Dylan Drops Danity, Squashes Simpson
Just a week ago, Diddy's pre-fab pop group Danity Kane scored the surprise number one album and Paris Hilton landed a Top 10 debut. But the times are a changin'.
For the first time in 30 years, grizzled vet Bob Dylan is perched atop the album chart with his latest album, Modern Times.
For the week ended Sunday, Modern Times sold 192,000 copies, per Nielsen SoundScan--Dylan's biggest sales week in the 15-year SoundScan era and his first number one album since 1976's Desire.
The three-decade interlude between chart-toppers is a Billboard record. Rod Stewart had a 25-year gap between number ones, Santana and the Isley Brothers both had 28-year spans, and Barry Manilow went 29 years between number ones. (Among defunct acts, the Beatles went 22 years and Elvis Presley 29 years between chart-toppers.)
Modern Times also topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland, while opening at number two in Germany, Austria and Sweden. In the U.K., the disc gave Dylan a personal single-week sales record with 55,000 copies at number three.
Helping propel sales with the kids, the 65-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer appears in a new iPod commercial performing the album track "Someday Baby." His "When the Deal Goes Down" forms the soundtrack to a short film by Academy Award-nominated Capote director Bennett Miller and starring Scarlett Johansson. The clip premiered on AOL and has popped up on YouTube and other video-streaming sites.
Dylan, who kicks off a North American tour next month, owns eight Grammys, an Oscar and Golden Globe for "Things Have Changed," and a Peabody Award. He has sold more than 100 million albums in a career that's lasted nearly half a century.
Dylan's arrival dropped Danity Kane down a spot to number two with 117,000 copies. Diddy's Making the Band 3 babes sold enough to hold off new releases by Young Dro and Jessica Simpson.
Rap newbie Young Dro, signed to T.I.'s Grand Hustle label, lit up the three spot selling nearly 104,000 copies of Best Thang Smokin'. The projects-raised rapper scored a massive hit this summer with "Shoulder Lean," which picked up traction as a surprise ringtone smash, selling more than 500,000 units.
Many pundits had considered Simpson's A Public Affair a lock for number one before vocal problems forced her to cancel several promotional appearances last week. The album, her first since her Newlyweds days (yes, it's been that long), sold 101,000 copies to open at number five. Simpson still hasn't landed a number one album--2001's Irresistible opened at six and 2003's In This Skin debuted at 10 and peaked at number two. (By comparison, sister Ashlee already topped the charts with both of her albums, 2004's Autobiography and 2005's I Am Me.)
A pair of veteran rap acts wrapped up the final Top 10 bows. Wu-Tang Clan rapper Method Man sold 62,000 copies of 4:21...The Day After to open at eight, and the Roots sold 61,000 copies of Game Theory at nine.
Rounding out the Top 10 were holdovers: Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics at four, Cheetah Girls 2 soundtrack at five and OutKast's Idlewild at seven. Nickelback's All the Right Reasons reentered in the 10 spot after dropping to 12 last week.
In what was a very active sales week, rapper Too Short's Blow the Whistle sold 40,000 to open at 14. With fewer than 750 copies separating the three discs, Ray LaMontagne's Till the Sun Turns Back, Crossfade's Falling Away and Hatebreed's Supremacy followed at 28, 30 and 31, respectively.
Other noteworthy debuts included the Toby Keith-led Broken Bridges soundtrack at 36, reggaeton superstar Tego Calderon's Underdog/El Subestimado at 43, Pete Yorn's Nightcrawler at 50, Paula DeAnda's self-titled debut at 54, Beenie Man's Undisputed at 65 and the country-goes-Christian compilation Three Wooden Crosses at 86.
Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums:
1. Modern Times, Bob Dylan
2. Danity Kane, Danity Kane
3. Best Thang Smokin', Young Dro
4. Back to Basics, Christina Aguilera
5. A Public Affair, Jessica Simpson
6. Cheetah Girls 2 soundtrack, various
7. Idlewild, OutKast
8. 4:21...The Day After, Method Man
9. Game Theory, The Roots
10. All the Right Reasons, Nickelback
Gore's "Truth" DVD boasts earth-friendly package
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Mother Nature won't be harmed when former Vice President Al Gore's hit global-warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" comes out on DVD November 21.
The DVD packaging consists entirely of waste products that have been recycled, including paper, inks and coatings formulated to emit virtually no volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. That means no plastics and no laminates.
"An Inconvenient Truth," a Paramount release directed by David Guggenheim, grossed $22.7 million in U.S. theaters, a huge amount for a documentary.
"I'm excited about the documentary's release on DVD," Gore said in an interview. "The DVD is a vital way for us to continue the conversation about global warming with even more Americans. As more and more people understand what's at stake, they become a part of the solution, and share both in the challenges and opportunities presented by the climate crises."
The DVD will feature a new introduction by Gore, with updates on global temperatures, population, hurricanes, projections of soil moisture and more. Also included: the Melissa Etheridge music video "I Need to Wake Up," and audio commentaries from Guggenheim and producers Lawrence Bender, Scott Burns, Laurie David and Lesley Chilcott.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each DVD will be donated to Alliance for Climate Protection, a bipartisan environmental group.
RICKY LOSING HIS HUMOR
British funnyman Ricky Gervais is done kidding around.
Gervais, 45, creator of the TV comedies "The Office" and "Extras," is vowing that his next project will be a television drama.
"We're not leaving comedy behind, but we'd like to have a go at something more dramatic," Gervais said Monday at an event held in the U.K. to promote the second season of "Extras."
The six-episode season, which commenced production in mid-July, is expected to premiere on HBO next year.
According to the U.K. newspaper The Guardian, Gervais has been inspired by the dramatic series he's seen on American TV.
"All the things we like at the moment are coming out of America, things like 'The Sopranos' and '24' and 'The Wire' and 'The Shield' - all these things that we [in the U.K.] just can't do or don't do or anything close to it," Gervais said.
"They're innovative, audacious, they're done brilliantly."
Gervais' producing partner, Stephen Merchant, said their drama would likely be a co-production with an American company. "Extras" is co-produced by HBO and the BBC.
In the upcoming new season of "Extras," Gervais' character, Andy Millman, finally has his script accepted for production, according to The Guardian.
Merchant returns in the role of Millman's ineffective agent.
Among the real-life stars appearing on "Extras" this season are David Bowie, Orlando Bloom, Robert Lindsay, Ian McKellan and Daniel Radcliffe.
Zach Braff Talks Scrubs and Fletch
Even though this could be the last season of "Scrubs," Zach Braff and the cast are completely committed to making this the best year of the smash NBC comedy yet.
"We just finished the first episode and there's lots of prosthetic make-up in the first episode. Last year, we sort of got really silly and random, and we call it the stoner humor. We did a little more of that, and the fans loved it. We had our best ratings ever. The feeling is this will probably be the last year, so we're all just sort of going for it. The writing is just so surreal and bizarre and wacky, and we're going to give the fans what they want this year," Braff said while promoting his new film, The Last Kiss.
In addition to the quirky humor of the show, there will be a musical episode that Braff is really excited about.
"Everyone sings. I think there's a patient with dementia and anytime that anyone's in the ICU, we see the ICU through this patient's eyes, and everyone's singing as though they're in a musical… They're getting guys who write musicals to come in and write the music, and then the writers will write the lyrics. Part of it will be spoofing the musical, in and of itself, so I'm sure there will be a whole lot of down on one knee, out of breath, with your arms in the air."
As far as guest appearances go, Braff is really hoping to get a former "Arrested Development" character on.
"The one person I want right now is David Cross. I wanted David Cross to come on as Tobias Funke. I'm trying to broker that deal, with Mitch's (Mitchell Hurwitz) approval. I want David to come on as Tobias… I love that character, and the fact that character is over for good, I want him to at least have one more little life."
Besides working on "Scrubs", Braff has been rumored to play Fletch in Fletch Won, which predates the first seven books in the series, and follows the early days of the title character's journalism career as a junior reporter in his 20's working at the News-Tribune.
"I don't know. Bill Lawrence is definitely writing and directing 'Fletch,' and there's a good chance I'll do it. I've just got to talk to Uncle Harvey…I was the one who told Harvey he should hire Bill. Bill's a huge Fletch fan. The books aren't as wacky and silly as the Chevy Chase movies were, so there was talk for awhile of going back to the books and not having that level of comedy in them, and Bill and I both disagreed.
"That's what made the movie so great. It's one of the most quoted movies ever, especially by guys. Why would you not tap back into what's funny about that? Definitely go back to the books 'cause the books are brilliant, but we want to still make it a comedy. Bill uses the great analogy of 'Beverly Hills Cop.' He's like, 'If you look at 'Beverly Hills Cop,' some people think it's one of the funniest comedies ever, but it's an action movie with great adventure and real stakes,' and he wants to do that with 'Fletch.' The books have real stakes and real action in them, but they also have some of the funniest, witty dialogue ever written."
Right now, Braff isn't writing any of his own material, but he is thinking about directing again very soon.
"I did an adaptation, that I'm working on, of a movie called 'Open Hearts,' that I'm probably going to direct next year. It's a Danish movie. And, that's what I'm doing now."
Paramount will release The Last Kiss on Friday, September 15.
No State Funeral for Croc Hunter
As the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin made a name for himself around the world. But at the end of the day, he was just an "ordinary bloke."
In the first public remarks from Irwin's family since his death on Monday, his father, Bob Irwin, said the family would probably decline the Australian government's offer of a state funeral for his son because Irwin would not have wanted the fuss of such a formal proceeding.
"The state funeral would be refused because he's an ordinary guy, he's just an ordinary bloke," the elder Irwin said at a press conference at Australia Zoo Wednesday.
"He wants to be remembered as an ordinary bloke."
Irwin, 44, was killed after he was hit in the chest by a stingray's barb Monday while filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.
Video footage of the TV star's last moments reportedly showed him yanking the poisonous barb from his chest before he lost consciousness.
Officials who reviewed the footage as part of the investigation into Irwin's death said there was no evidence he had antagonized the stingray in order to make it lash out.
Dressed in his son's signature khaki shorts and shirt, Bob Irwin offered emotional recollections of the man he called "my best mate ever."
"I'm a lucky, lucky guy that I've had the opportunity to have a son like Steve," he told reporters.
"Steve and I weren't like father and son. We never were. We were good mates."
Irwin's body was flown from Cairns to the Sunshine Coast by charter plane on Tuesday. Funeral arrangements will most likely not be announced for several days, according to Irwin's friend and manager, John Stainton, who was with him at the time of his death.
Mourners continued to flock to the zoo by the thousands Wednesday, adding flowers and written messages to a makeshift memorial to Irwin at the gate.
Irwin's widow, Terri Irwin, has yet to speak publicly about her husband's death. However, on Tuesday, she used the internal intercom service at Australia Zoo to thank staffers for their support.
"She was really choked up. She basically said how grateful she was for the support from all the staff," Michael Hornby, the executive manager of Irwin's charity, Wildlife Warriors, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"She was extremely upset and did not talk for long. But she wanted to thank staff for helping the family hold themselves together; and the fact that she was thinking of other people at such a distressing time is simply amazing."
Irwin's father vowed that he would help Terri continue his son's work at Australia Zoo until his children, eight-year-old Bindi and two-year-old Bob, were old enough to take over some of the responsibility.
"Steve will want his work carried on," he said.